Garage burned by fire from attempt to warm cat bed

Authorities say a Prescott homeowner used a plumbing warming device to try to keep his cat's bed warm during sub-freezing temperatures but ended up starting a fire that burned the home's detached garage.

Fire Marshal Don Devendorf says the homeowner says he placed heat tape on the cat's bed and covered it in an attempt to keep the cat warm.

The Daily Courier reports that the garage burned Friday was a total loss, with damage to the garage and its contents estimated at $25,000.

Devendorf says heat tapes are meant to keep pipes from freezing and that they get very hot but dissipate the heat through the lengths of pipe.